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Motivation, Publication, and the Never-Ending Nature of *the work*

July and August are messy for academics. I assume I’m not the only one for whom this is true, so I’m going to run with it. We’re caught between having time off, having family members and friends with time off, a slew of events, warm weather, and FUN THINGS, and the never-ending nature of our work. Personally, I’ve been hopping between guilt-ridden travel to my home province and thousand (and sometimes two thousand!) word work days. I’m getting more done than ever, but I feel horrendously unproductive. Such is the curse of summer.
Today, however, I’m brimming with good news and great vibes. I leave tomorrow for a weekend away with my spouse in celebration of five years of marriage. Yesterday, I asked him if he’s planning on bringing along any work. You guys. It’s our anniversary. I’m not going to bring any work along. (Probably). Today, I sent off an article. It isn’t perfect, but I’m hoping that the editors I’ve sent it to will appreciate the topic and accept it conditionally. I’ve decided that this is an okay way to approach the publication thing: work hard, produce good work, and be comfortable letting it go, even if it isn’t perfect. (Related: your work is never perfect.). I am also the recipient of GOOD NEWS today: a piece that I’ve been waiting to come out is available online! It happened while I was away, or working, or distracted, or depressed.* You should read it!
Here’s the link:http://www.whedonstudies.tv/current-issue.html